Division News...

Grave Creek Mound to feature
prehistoric lifeway program for the public on July 4

July 1, 2010

Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will present a special program that demonstrates how some of the tools on display at the Delf Norona Museum were made and used by their prehistoric owners on Sunday, July 4. The day’s activities, which run from 1 - 4 p.m., are free and open to the public.

From 1 - 2 p.m., the museum invites visitors to view an introductory slide presentation about Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex and some of the prehistoric tools on display in the facility. Participants also can experience for themselves how early Native Americans used tools made of stone and wood to grind corn, drill holes and work with bone from 2 - 4 p.m. These activities are part of the museum’s popular “Prehistoric Tools” program that can be reserved by groups who visit the complex.

“We hope the public will take a break from the heat and stop by the museum on July 4 to enjoy these special programming activities ideally suited for the entire family,” said David Rotenizer, site manager at Grave Creek Mound.

For more information about the program or to learn about other group activities, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator at Grave Creek Mound, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at Andrea.K.Keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving notification of other upcoming programs at the mound.

Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World which ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound by the Adena people took place in successive stages from 250-150 B.C. and required the movement of 57,000 tons of earth, approximately three million individual basket loads.

Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also has a new wing which houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Curation Facility, as well as a study room for researchers and a library. Contact the complex for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Access to the mound and gift shop closes 30 minutes before the museum.

A new outdoor exhibit, The Interpretive Garden, was recently planted and features crops grown by Native Americans based on archaeological evidence.

Visitors can also see four traveling exhibits on display, Women of Design: Embassies, Mansions, and Stately Homes–Pat Bibbee and Vivien Woofter; Marble King: the World’s Finest Marbles; Homer Laughlin China Company; and Ladies Fashion Dolls of the Nineteenth Century by Pete Ballard.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.